Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Stipa”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Differences in the compensatory growth of two co-occurring grass species in relation to water availability.

We compared the potential for compensatory growth of two grass species from the Mongolian steppe that differ in their ability to persist under grazing: the rhizomatous Leymus chinensis and the caespitose Stipa krylovii, and investigated how this ability might be affected by drought. Plants were grown in a greenhouse under wet and dry conditions and subjected to a clipping treatment (biweekly removal of 75-90% of the aerial mass). Leymus exhibited a much stronger compensatory growth after clipping than Stipa. Leymus showed a significant increase in its relative growth rate (RGR) after clipping, while for Stipa RGR was negatively affected. Clipped Leymus plants maintained leaf productivity levels that were similar to undamaged individuals, while leaf-productivity in clipped Stipa dropped to less than half of that of the controls. In Leymus, there was less compensatory growth under dry than under wet conditions, while in Stipa the compensation was increased under drought. This difference probably reflects the fact that Stipa is more drought-tolerant than Leymus. The greater compensatory growth of Leymus compared to Stipa mainly resulted from a greater stimulation of its net assimilation rate (NAR), and its greater capacity to store and reallocate carbohydrates by clipping. The greater increase in NAR was probably the result of a stronger reduction in self-shading, because Leymus shoots were much denser than those of Stipa, which resulted in a higher increase in light penetration to remaining leaves after clipping. The results of this study suggest that the greater ability of Leymus to persist under grazing is the result of its larger capacity for compensatory growth.

Biomass↗

Phytolith assemblages in grasses native to central Argentina.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Phytolith reference collections are a prerequisite for accurate interpretation of soil phytolith assemblages aimed at reconstructing past vegetation. In this study a phytolith reference collection has been developed for several grasses native to central Argentina: Poa ligularis, Piptochaetium napostaense, Stipa clarazii, Stipa tenuis, Stipa tenuissima, Stipa eriostachya, Stipa ambigua, Stipa brachychaeta, Pappophorum subbulbosum, Digitaria californica, Bothriochloa edwardsiana and Aristida subulata. METHODS: For each species, phytoliths present in the leaf blades were classified into 47 morphotypes, and their relative frequency determined by observing 300-400 phytoliths per sample (n = 5). Data were analyzed by complete linkage cluster analysis, using the Morisita Index as measure of association. KEY RESULTS: The results showed differentiation among phytolith assemblages at species level or at plant functional type level. Cluster analysis separated C3 from C4 species and palatable from non-palatable species. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the possibility of reconstructing past vegetation in central Argentina grasslands through the analysis of soil phytolith assemblages.

Argentina↗

[Analyses of the correlation between the fluxes of CO2 and the distribution of C & N in grassland soils].

Using static dark enclosed chamber technique, the emissions of CO2 from typical temperate grasslands such as Stipa baicalensis, Leymus chinensis, Stipa grandis and Stipa krylovii in Xilin River Basin of Inner Mongolia were measured. And the contents of organic carbon and total nitrogen in different soil layers were also studied to analyze the correlation between the emissions of CO2 and the contents of C & N. The results showed that the emissions of CO2 from the 4 grassland communities were significantly positively correlated with soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in different layers of grassland soils, and the correlation coefficients were almost all above 0.8. That meant the flux of CO2 is severely influenced by the contents of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen when environmental factors were similar. The decreases of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen with the depth into soils (more than 70% of the contents centralizes above 0-30 cm layer) showed that most of them came from the decomposition of organic matter on the earth's surface. In the 0-100 cm layer of grassland soils, the decreases of amount of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen from Stipa baicalensis, Stipa grandis and Leymus chinensis grasslands to Stipa krylovii grassland orderly showed that the impacts of precipitation, evaporation and dryness index on the distribution of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen were important.

Carbon↗

[Biogeochemical characteristics of nutrient elements in ungrazed grassland ecosystem in Xilin River Basin].

The biogeochemical characteristics of nutrient elements in Leymus chinensis community and Stipa grandis community, which were both scarcely disturbed by human activities, in Xilin River Basin, Inner Mongolia were studied. The results showed that the storage of N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, and Si in the soil compartment of soil-plant system was higher than that in the plant subsystem of two communities, and their storage in the live shoots compartment was lower than that in the litter compartment. The disappearing rate of N, P, K and S from the litter compartment was higher than that of Ca, Mg, and Si in the two grassland communities. The decomposition rate of litter in Leymus chinensis community was higher than that in Stipa grandis community. In the grassland soil-plant system, the matter flowing mass kept balance in Leymus chinensis community, but lost balance in Stipa grandis community. The matter participating in biogeochemical cycling in Leymus chinensis community was more than that in Stipa grandis community.

Ecosystem↗

Nitrogen response efficiency increased monotonically with decreasing soil resource availability: a case study from a semiarid grassland in northern China.

The concept of nutrient use efficiency is central to understanding ecosystem functioning because it is the step in which plants can influence the return of nutrients to the soil pool and the quality of the litter. Theory suggests that nutrient efficiency increases unimodally with declining soil resources, but this has not been tested empirically for N and water in grassland ecosystems, where plant growth in these ecosystems is generally thought to be limited by soil N and moisture. In this paper, we tested the N uptake and the N use efficiency (NUE) of two Stipa species (S. grandis and S. krylovii) from 20 sites in the Inner Mongolia grassland by measuring the N content of net primary productivity (NPP). NUE is defined as the total net primary production per unit N absorbed. We further distinguished NUE from N response efficiency (NRE; production per unit N available). We found that NPP increased with soil N and water availability. Efficiency of whole-plant N use, uptake, and response increased monotonically with decreasing soil N and water, being higher on infertile (dry) habitats than on fertile (wet) habitats. We further considered NUE as the product of the N productivity (NP the rate of biomass increase per unit N in the plant) and the mean residence time (MRT; the ratio between the average N pool and the annual N uptake or loss). The NP and NUE of S. grandis growing usually in dry and N-poor habitats exceeded those of S. krylovii abundant in wet and N-rich habitats. NUE differed among sites, and was often affected by the evolutionary trade-off between NP and MRT, where plants and communities had adapted in a way to maximize either NP or MRT, but not both concurrently. Soil N availability and moisture influenced the community-level N uptake efficiency and ultimately the NRE, though the response to N was dependent on the plant community examined. These results show that soil N and water had exerted a great impact on the N efficiency in Stipa species. The intraspecific differences in N efficiency within both Stipa species along soil resource availability gradient may explain the differences in plant productivity on various soils, which will be conducive to our general understanding of the N cycling and vegetation dynamics in northern Chinese grasslands.

China↗

Radiostrontium uptake by plants from different soil types in Kazakhstan.

The transfer of 90Sr to a range of different plant species grown on a range of different soil types in Kazakhstan, including three from the Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS), has been measured in a lysimeter experiment. 90Sr uptake by Stipa spp was significantly higher than for other vegetation species. The uptake of 90Sr from chernozem was significantly lower than that from the other soil types which is consistent with other literature. There was a significant negative relationship between 90Sr uptake and calcium, humus and CEC concentration in the soil for Agropyrum spp, Artemisia spp but not for Stipa spp or Bromus spp. The transfer to vegetation from soil has been quantified using the aggregated transfer coefficients for each species. Tag values range from 0.6 to 11.9 m2 kg-1x10(-3) over all measurements. The transfer of 90Sr to plants from the Kazakh soils was low compared to previously reported data and to that given from literature reviews.

Artemisia↗

[Natural vegetation restoration and soil nutrient dynamics of abandoned farmlands in forest-steppe zone on Loess Plateau].

To understand the relationship between plant community succession and soil nutrient dynamics is crucial in intervening vegetation succession. This paper reported the results from a study carried out in a forest-steppe zone on the Loess Plateau, with emphasis on the vegetation characteristics and soil nutrient dynamics duringvegetation restoration on abandoned farmlands of this area. The results showed that under zonal habitat conditions, natural vegetation succession would turn toward the original vegetation communities, but the expected shrub or trees communities didn't occur after 40 approximately 50 years, and Stipa bungeana, Artemisia sacrorum, Bothriochloa ischaemun, Stipa grandis and Lespedeza davurica communities were still the widely distributed communities. Vegetation restoration had a significant effect on soil nutrient dynamics. In general, soil nutrient contents increased with restoration time, and extremely significant changes occurred in soil organic matter, total N, available N, and available K (P< 0.001),while only significant changes in available P (0.05 < P < 0.01) and no significant change in total P (P > 0.05). Moreover, the changes were also found in soil profile. Statistical analysis showed that from surface layer (0 approximately 20 cm) to deeper layer (to 60 cm), extremely significant changes occurred in soil organic matter, total N, available N, available K and available P (P < 0.001), and significant change in total P (P< 0.05). Soil nutrients intended to accumulate in surface layer. Further linear correlation analysis showed that soil organic matter, total N, available N and available K were significantly correlated each other ( P< 0.001), but didn't show correlation with soil total P and available P.

China↗

Eco-environmental evolution, control, and adjustment for Aibi Lake catchment.

Aibi Lake in north Xinjiang is a typical lake of the arid area, but with a peculiar wetland-arid area ecosystem. Due to the climate becoming drier and the disturbance of human activities, the eco-environment of Aibi Lake catchment has degraded. It was found in our study that there were spatial-temporal changes of vegetation cover, plant species, and soil physical and chemical properties in the catchment. In the upper section of alluvial-fluvial plains, the desertified steppe of Stipa and Artemisia spp. is developed with vegetation cover of some 50%. Haloxylon ammodendron desert occupies the lower section with vegetation cover of some 60%. In these regions with an intensive human disturbance, vegetation has degraded into herb vegetation of annual plant complexes. On the margins of the alluvial-fluvial fans, the lakeshore, and the surrounding regions where the river mouths join the lake, different azonal vegetation-Phragmites communis marsh, Phragmites communis meadow, and Tamarix shrubs-have developed with a vegetation cover of some 80%. On heavier, salinized land, succulent halophyte desert vegetation dominated by Halocnemum strobilaceum has formed with a fractional canopy cover of 10-15%. Haloxylon persicum, Aristida pennata, and other species with a vegetation cover of 30-50% grow in the sand desert zone on the periphery in the lake. In contrast with the 1950s, the vegetation cover around the lakebed and at the river deltas has slightly increased; however, the vegetation cover around the periphery of the lake has decreased and the plant species have still degraded. The surface soils on the windward area and the dried lakebed that have lost vegetation protection have become coarser, whereas the land on the leeward side of the lake has accumulated fine particles. In contrast with the 1980s, soil organic matter has declined markedly. The analyses of climatic data show that the number of days of drifting dust in Jinghe County and Bole City increased in the last 20 years. In the investigation, we found that intensively developed land, the bare lakebed, and abandoned cultivated land provided a great deal of material for drifting dust. In conclusion, we consider the eco-environmental degradation resulting from the inappropriate human activities and put forward recommendations for land-use adjustment and dust control.

Agriculture↗

Molecular and carbon isotopic composition of leaf wax in vegetation and aerosols in a northern prairie ecosystem.

We measured the molecular and carbon isotopic composition of major leaf wax compound classes in northern mixed mesic prairie species (Agropyron smithii, Stipa viridula, Bouteloua gracilis, Tragopogon dubius) and in selected crops (Triticum aestivum, Brassica napus, Hordeum vulgare, Medicago sativa) of southern Alberta and also in aerosols collected 4 m above the prairie canopy. Our aims were to better constrain the wax biosynthetic carbon isotopic fractionation relative to the plant's carbon isotopic discrimination and to quantitatively assess the correspondence between wax composition in vegetation and in boundary layer aerosols. Wax molecular composition of the C(3)prairie species and bulked vegetation was characterized by high abundance of C(28) n-alkanol and C(31) n-alkane compounds whereas the C(4) species B. gracilis had several co-dominant n-alkanol and n-alkane compounds. Wax molecular composition of crop species differed significantly from that of prairie vegetation and was often dominated by a single compound. Results indicate that leaf wax isotopic composition is quantitatively related to the plant's carbon isotopic discrimination. Although species variations were evident, n-alcohol, n-acid and n-alkane wax compounds were on average depleted in (13)C by approximately 6.0+/-1 per thousand relative to total plant carbon. The magnitude of the depletion in wax delta(13)C was unaffected by environmental factors which altered photosynthetic carbon isotopic discrimination. No consistent difference in the magnitude of wax biosynthetic fractionation was observed between C(3) and C(4) species, indicating that photosynthetic pathway has little influence on the isotopic fractionation of wax during biosynthesis. The isotopic composition of ablated waxes in aerosols collected above the canopy was similar to that of the grassland vegetation but the molecular composition differed significantly and indicated that the source "footprint" of the ablated leaf wax particles we sampled in boundary layer air masses was of a regional or larger spatial scale.

Aerosols↗

Temporal and spatial variation in alkaloid levels in Achnatherum robustum, a native grass infected with the endophyte Neotyphodium.

The native North American perennial grass Achnatherum robustum (Vasey) Barkworth [= Stipa robusta (Vasey) Scribn.] or sleepygrass is toxic and narcotic to livestock. The causative agents are alkaloidal mycotoxins produced from infections by a systemic and asexual Neotyphodium endophyte. Recent studies suggest that toxicity is limited across the range of sleepygrass in the Southwest USA. We sampled 17 populations of sleepygrass with varying distance from one focal population known for its high toxicity levels near Cloudcroft, NM, USA. For some, we sampled individual plants twice within the same growing season and over successive years (2001-2004). We also determined infection levels in each population. In general, all populations were highly infected, but infection levels were more variable near the focal population. Only infected plants within populations near the Cloudcroft area produced alkaloids. The ergot alkaloid, ergonovine, comprised the bulk of the alkaloids, with lesser amounts of lysergic and isolysergic acid amides and ergonovinine alkaloids. Levels of all alkaloids were positively correlated among individual plants within and between growing seasons. Infected plants that produced no alkaloids in 1 yr did not produce any alkaloids within the same growing season or in other years. Levels of alkaloids in sleepygrass populations declined with distance from the Cloudcroft population, although infection levels increased. Infected plants in populations in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado produced no alkaloids at all despite 100% infectivity. Our results suggest that only specific Neotyphodium haplotypes or specific Neotyphodium-grass combinations produce ergot alkaloids in sleepygrass. The Neotyphodium haplotype or host-endophyte combination that produces toxic levels of alkaloids appears restricted to one locality across the range of sleepygrass. Because of the wide variation in alkaloid levels among populations, interactions between the endophyte and host, and consequences for herbivores, competitors, and pathogens and other components of the community, are likely to vary widely across the geographic range of this native grass.

Alkaloids↗

Effects of environmental factors on N2O emission from and CH4 uptake by the typical grasslands in the Inner Mongolia.

The fluxes of N2O emission from and CH4 uptake by the typical semi-arid grasslands in the Inner Mongolia, China were measured in 1998-1999. Three steppes, i.e. the ungrazed Leymus chinensis (LC), the moderately grazed Leymus chinensis (LC) and the ungrazed Stipa grandis (SG), were investigated, at a measurement frequency of once per week in the growing seasons and once per month in the non-growing seasons of the LC steppes. In addition, four diurnal-cycles of the growing seasons of the LC steppes, each in an individual stage of grass growth, were measured. The investigated steppes play a role of source for the atmospheric N2O and sink for the atmospheric CH4, with a N2O emission flux of 0.06-0.21 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) and a CH4 uptake flux of 1.8-2.3 kg C ha(-1) yr(-1). Soil moisture primarily and positively regulates the spatial and seasonal variability of N2O emission. The usual difference in soil moisture among various semi-arid steppes does not lead to significantly different CH4 uptake intensities. Soil moisture, however, negatively regulates the seasonal variability in CH4 uptake. Soil temperature of the most top layer might be the primary driving factor for CH4 uptake when soil moisture is relatively low. The annual net emission of N2O and CH4 from the ungrazed LC steppe, the moderately grazed LC steppe and the ungrazed SG steppe is at a CO2 equivalent rate of 7.7, 0.8 and -7.5 kg CO2-C ha(-1) yr(-1), respectively, which is at an ignorable level. This implies that the role of the semi-arid grasslands in the atmospheric greenhouse effect in terms of net emission of greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4 and N2O) may exclusively depend upon the net exchange of net ecosystem CO2 exchange.

Atmosphere↗

Familial presentation of occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by aspergillus-contaminated esparto dust.

Esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima), which is commonly found in the Mediterranean area, has a wide variety of uses. Five plaster workers from the same family developed cough, dyspnea, malaise, and fever after exposure to the esparto fiber used in their work for the previous few years. They showed a significant decrease in symptoms when away from work. Precipitating antibodies against an esparto extract were found in the sera of all patients. Specific IgG antibodies against Aspergillus fumigatus were detected. A. fumigatus was identified after microbiologic evaluation of esparto fiber samples. The dust derived from fungi-contaminated esparto fibers can cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis in exposed subjects. The causative antigen is A. fumigatus. When esparto fibers were strongly contaminated by fungi, all the workers developed a clinical picture compatible with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The coincidental finding of an occupational and a familiar condition is unusual.

Adult↗

Do positive interactions increase with abiotic stress? A test from a semi-arid steppe.

Theoretical models predict that the relative importance of facilitation and competition may vary inversely across gradients of abiotic stress. However, these predictions have not been thoroughly tested in the field, especially in semi-arid environments. In this study, we evaluated how the net effect of the tussock grass Stipa tenacissima on the shrub Pistacia lentiscus varied across a gradient of abiotic stress in semi-arid Mediterranean steppes. We fitted the relationship between accumulated rainfall and the relative neighbour index (our measures of abiotic stress and of the net effect of S. tenacissima on P. lentiscus, respectively), which varied across this gradient, to a quadratic model. Competitive interactions dominated at both extremes of the gradient. Our results do not support established theory. Instead, they suggest that a shift from facilitation to competition under high abiotic stress conditions is likely to occur when the levels of the most limiting resource are so low that the benefits provided by the facilitator cannot overcome its own resource uptake.

Analysis of Variance↗

Comparison of soil bacterial communities in rhizospheres of three plant species and the interspaces in an arid grassland.

Soil bacteria are important contributors to primary productivity and nutrient cycling in arid land ecosystems, and their populations may be greatly affected by changes in environmental conditions. In parallel studies, the composition of the total bacterial community and of members of the Acidobacterium division were assessed in arid grassland soils using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRF, also known as T-RFLP) analysis of 16S rRNA genes amplified from soil DNA. Bacterial communities associated with the rhizospheres of the native bunchgrasses Stipa hymenoides and Hilaria jamesii, the invading annual grass Bromus tectorum, and the interspaces colonized by cyanobacterial soil crusts were compared at three depths. When used in a replicated field-scale study, TRF analysis was useful for identifying broad-scale, consistent differences in the bacterial communities in different soil locations, over the natural microscale heterogeneity of the soil. The compositions of the total bacterial community and Acidobacterium division in the soil crust interspaces were significantly different from those of the plant rhizospheres. Major differences were also observed in the rhizospheres of the three plant species and were most apparent with analysis of the Acidobacterium division. The total bacterial community and the Acidobacterium division bacteria were affected by soil depth in both the interspaces and plant rhizospheres. This study provides a baseline for monitoring bacterial community structure and dynamics with changes in plant cover and environmental conditions in the arid grasslands.

Bacteria↗